Anne Minard's day job is event planner for the Michigan House Republican Caucus, a gig paid for with $40,000 of our tax dollars. But there's no guarantee every suspicion and suspect mentioned in an affidavit will be confirmed or charged with a crime. Aaron claimed to remember his older brother being handsy with his then-girlfriend when they were younger. "GCSI reported it and so did Scofes.". Chatfield's letter of support to the federal government was sent on the same day in July 2020 as one from Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake. In December 2020, GCSI Chief Executive Hawks was present in the speaker's office when then-President Donald Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, visited amid a push to overturn the 2020 election, according to two sources. Jack Chatfield ( Republican Party) is a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 67. On Wednesday, Michigan state Speaker of the House Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) announced Rep. Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit) had been stripped of her committee assignments after she shared a video in which she addressed 'Trumpers' to "be careful" and called on "soldiers" to "make them pay." Chatfield tweeted, 'Threats to Democrats or Republicans are unacceptable and un-American. The accuser, now 26, filed a criminal complaint with the Lansing Police Department, which referred it to state police earlier this week. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle noticed Chatfield's close connections to GCSI while he had the power to set the agenda in the state House. The center didn't register to lobby state officials until 2021. That said, it is clear the attorney general's investigators believe they are peeling back the layers of an onion that will make anyone who cares about integrity and good government weep bitter tears. The photos, tweeted by journalist . LaPorte declined to comment for this article. We are looking forward to building on our very successful 2022 campaign where our Opens and U14 A Team won there respective tournaments. The AG's affidavit reportedly also says Aaron Chatfield got Adderall for lobbyist Noel LaPorte of Capitol Advocacy Services Group. Orlene Hawks told my colleague Paul Egan in 2019 that she has "served the people of Michigan with the utmost honesty and integrity" throughout her career as a state employee. The emerging details of how Chatfield used his influence have the potential to spur an overhaul of how Lansing operates as Democrats prepare to take control of the House and Senate in January. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, accused former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield, Ex-con sentenced to 37 to life in prison for brutal rape inside NYC sidewalk shed, Lawyer attacked by client who allegedly decapitated lover withdraws from case, Behind teen girls sky-high depression: Forced sex, social media, Woke LA DA suspends lead prosecutor of trans woman convicted of molesting 10-year-old girl. Hauck did not provide additional details about his discussion with Chatfield. The previous three House speakers received a combined total of $4,180 in food and drink from all Michigan lobbyists over eight years. It's unclear if Nessel's office is investigating GCSI, though the jobs Chatfield's brothers landed with one of the firm's clients while he was speaker have caught the attention of investigators, The Detroit News reported in October. The Queensland squad also includes exciting Gold Coast talent Jojo Fifita, who has been named 18th man for the Titans in their NRL clash against the Cronulla Sharks in Coffs Harbour. LaPorte and Hawks had a close relationship with Chatfield. In his first race for state Rep in 2014, Chatfield began his campaign to deny LGBTQ+ people their civil rights by using that as a wedge issue against fellow Republican Frank Foster, who supported adding sexual orientation and gender identity to ELCRA. In 2019, like politicians before him who aspired to be speaker, Wentworth set up a second PAC. TruGreen Neighborhood Lawn Sales Representative. She still serves as the director of LARA, which oversees professional licensing and regulates the liquor and marijuana industries. Explosive allegations about excessive political spending were revealed this week in the ongoing investigation into former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield. So he would manipulate me, he would mess with my emotions.". Which is too bad, because I have a lot of questions for him about one of his employees, who is at the heart of what could turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in Michigan political history. The News' wide-ranging investigation revealed GCSI lobbyists wined and dined Chatfield like no other House speaker in the past decade, picking up the tab for thousands of dollars in free food, drink and travel that was nearly six times what the firm disclosed spending on Chatfield's three immediate predecessors combined. Chatfield's support for the Muskegon area casino project came after he expressed his opposition to a fellow legislative leader a year earlier. "The question should be asked and looked into.. Strong sales / Operations professional graduated from Southern Cross University. Updated, 6:40 p.m. Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield only had to pay half the fine he was originally slapped with after bringing a loaded, unregistered handgun to an airport last summer, The Detroit News reported. We're going to pass gun reforms. Last name. "[10], On January 6, 2022, The Detroit News reported Michigan State Police were investigating Chatfield over allegations that he sexually abused a girl for 12 years, beginning in 2009 when she was between 14 and 15 years old and continuing until 2021. Paquette said he privately clashed with Chatfield about his approach to leadership and cozy interactions with lobbyists. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, Whitmer named to lead Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Chatfield case could reveal the depth of Michigan's political cesspool, A woman threw a house party with 65 men she matched with on Tinder and Hinge and connected with the man she's been dating for a year. Minard and his wife, a fellow House staffer, controlled the finances of a dark money nonprofit linked to Chatfield, while owning a consulting firm that was paid nearly $500,000 from various funds tied to the former House speaker. The night before the wedding, while Rebekah was crying inside of the Chatfields home, she alleged Lee offered to comfort her, before forcing her into a closet for a sex act. Because of Michigan's lack of an open records policy covering lawmakers, the House wouldn't have to disclose Chatfield's letter. 43w. A Gary Owen is listed as a director of the entity, according to state business records. He was re-elected to the state Legislature in 2016 with 67 percent of the vote, and in 2018, with over 58 percent of the vote. And since he's term-limited and not running for another office, Wentworth doesn't even need to worry whether anything he says in the court of public opinion could be used against him. I couldnt see what would happen past then. She went to the immediate jurisdiction that she thought was appropriate, White said. Girls high school basketball team forfeits a game because it refused to play against a team with a transgender player, Fox Leaders Wanted to Break From Trump but Struggled to Make It Happen, Not Going to Read That: White House Press Secretary Brushes Off DeSantis Op-Ed, Wakefield chairman John Minards confident in clubs hybrid Belle Vue pitch, SC House Freedom Caucus takes colleagues to federal court on free speech grounds, Michigan coronavirus cases: Tracking the pandemic. During Chatfield's tenure, lobbyists from GCSI became a regular presence within the speaker's office and occasionally consumed alcohol there with Chatfield, according to four sources who had routine interactions with Chatfield but declined to be identified because of concerns about GCSI's ongoing influence over state government. Percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. Bills in the 2017-18 and 2019-20 sessions would have required the state to give a preference in bidding contracts to firms that mine products in Michigan. Their affair lasted for years, but they were both consenting adults, she said. 2023 Representative Information. "By no stretch of the imagination is that social welfare," said longtime elections lawyer Mark Brewer, whose main areas of practice include campaign finance and nonprofit law. Lee Chatfield has admitted having an affair with his sister-in-law and with other women, but said that these affairs were between consenting adults. It has caused great pain to his wife and family, and they are working through this together. "They dont have the time to manage bringing other consultants on.. When I was in my darkest place, I didnt know what else to do, and he continued to remind me that I didnt have, really, anyone else but him, she said. Speaker Chatfield's heavy-handed approach to Representative C.A. But on Feb. 25, 2021, about two months after Chatfield left office, the House approved a symbolic resolution in opposition to off-reservation gaming. [19], Following the backlash from his hiring, Southwest Michigan First and Chatfield stated that they would support expanding the state's civil rights act (the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act) to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, a stance that the Southwest Michigan First board had voted in 2017 to support. Wentworth, through his spokesman, declined my invitation to explain why Anne Minard remains on the state payroll but is no longer serving as treasurer to his PACs and, based on the notation "no other vendor," appears to be persona non grata when it comes to his political funds. Students attending Chatfield High School have been very upset about the recent events regarding racial discrimination. I didnt know there was an option to report. The salary range is from $54,001 to $81,085. Chatfield took office in 2015. Her and her family, theyre working through it. House Speaker Lee Chatfield and Rep. Jim Lilly were photographed on Friday night indulging in a bottle of Dom Perignon at the hotel's Benjamin Bar & Lounge. (Photo by Michigan House Republicans) "When GCSI became available, they approached the tribe, and tribal leadership decided to add additionalhelp to the lobbying efforts," said Tom Shields, a spokesman for the Little River Band. [13][11][14], In February 2022, state police searched the home of Chatfield's former top staff members, Rob and Anne Minard. Price information. [20] A few days after beginning his new job, Chatfield resigned, citing the controversy.[21]. The psychological abuse wore her down, she said, and she stopped resisting. Rep. Terry Sabo, D-Muskegon, who supported the casino project near his district, said there was a "sense of urgency" among lobbyists working for the Little River Band to get something done by the end of 2020 because they felt Chatfield was in support and he was departing the Legislature by the end of that year. A resolution never came up for a vote in the House. Elrick is a Pulitzer Prize- and Emmy Award-winning investigative reporter and host of theML's Soul of Detroit podcast. Chatfield is the speaker of the Michigan House for the 2019-2020 legislative session. I didn't know there was an option to report," she said. Lee Chatfield, the then-Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, speaks during a campaign rally in Muskegon, Michigan, on October 17, 2020. Since no one has accused Wentworth of wrongdoing, it would seem there's no good reason for him to clam up when one of his employees has given us reason to wonder whether state government is corrupt. Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers who met with then-President Donald Trump at the . Im rethinking every conversation I ever had with Lee, Aaron reportedly said. In 2019 before GCSI began lobbying for the casino Chatfield told Ananich he opposed the project, Ananich told The News. He was speaker pro tempore from 2017 to 2019, and speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Catch up fast: The state investigation began in January after Chatfield's sister-in-law, Rebekah Chatfield . Gretchen Whitmer and the GOP-controlled Legislature. Lot 1318 Nowlan Street (Willow), Gisborne, Vic 3437. More:5 revelations in the Chatfield investigation search warrant affidavits. Chatfield has denied allegations he sexually . [3] Chatfield, along with Michigan Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, met with Trump on November 20, 2020, as Trump and his campaign attempted to overturn the results of the presidential election, in which Trump was defeated by Joe Biden (both nationally and in Michigan). "Thats how he moved his agenda, Greig said of the relationship. Detroit officials argued it would open the door for off-reservation gambling halls in the suburbs and diminish a vital source of tax revenue for the city, which has three casinos. Despite helping him climb to the top, it appears the heat of the spotlight trained on the Minards got too hot for Wentworth. Lee Roberson Chatfield (born May 25, 1988) is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Michigan House of Representatives. Chatfield, the youngest House speaker in more than a century, was the Republican leader for two years and was among seven Michigan GOP lawmakers whomet with then-President Donald Trump at the White Houseas Trump tried to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens win in the state. Chatfield received a bachelor's degree from Northland International University, a Baptist college in Wisconsin, and a master's degree from Liberty University in Virginia. Chatfield has said the relationship . Another of Lee's brothers, Paul Chatfield, 27, said he believes there was "inappropriate behavior" between his sister-in-law and older brother but questioned her account of the alleged abuse in terms of when it started and how far it escalated. Guest Service Representative at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Greater Saginaw-Midland-Bay City Area. Racial incident not representative. "And we will continue to advocate for our clients using the highest standards of professionalism which has been the basis for our reputation and continued growth and success.". . Orlene Hawks was a member of the board at that time and resigned from it in 2019 after Whitmer appointed her director of the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. LANSING, Mich. State police in northern Michigan were investigating Thursday after a woman accused former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield of sexually assaulting her multiple times, beginning when she was 14 or 15 years old. 6636 10th Ave Southwest, Rochester, Minnesota 55902. See if you qualify! Her mental health reached a breaking point in December, when she finally shared her trauma with them and subsequently filed the police report, according to Bridge. 2 Beds. In response to the specific claims Rebekah gave to Bridge Michigan, Chartier reiterated that her client had an "affair with this woman [that] lasted for years, but they were both consenting adults over 18.". Rep. Kara Hope, D-Holt, said she was trying to create a safe work environment, but the House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, said the sign took away people's Second Amendment rights and . Staff Writer Beth LeBlanc and Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed. But Shields, a longtime Republican political consultant, said the Little River Band's use of GCSI and LaPorte for lobbying on the casino project "was reported and transparent. "I had a lot of family stuff going on in my life," Rebekah told Bridge Michigan. GCSI and its employees spent $6,898 on food and drink for Chatfield over his two years as speaker. 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